Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Blaðsíða 4

What Are Icelanders
Talking About?
The topics that keep the replies coming
Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Grapevine Archives
Things heated up mid-
January when former
foreign minister and ambassador
Jón Baldvín Hannibalsson made
the news again, as four women came
forward detailing sexual harass-
ment they endured from him.
Some of these incidents date back
to the 1960s, but some happened as
recently as last summer. In addi-
tion, in a closed Facebook group,
numerous women working in the
service industry have detailed inap-
propriate behaviour he exhibited
towards them. Amazingly, this is
not the first time he has been in the
news for this behaviour, as this was
last brought to light in 2012. And like
back then, it doesn’t seem as though
any consequences are forthcoming,
and he denies all the allegations
against him.
A report on whaling from the
Institute of Economic Studies raised
a number of eyebrows, primarily
due to its conclusions that directly
contradicted a lot of things we know
about whaling and its effects—in
particular its profitability and
impact on fish stocks. People were
quick to point out that the main
researcher for the report is Dr.
Oddgeir Á. Ottesen, who was also
an alternate MP for the Independ-
ence Party, which has always been
pro-whaling. Complicating matters
further was the report’s contention
that it consulted with whale watch-
ing groups as part of the research,
while Rannveig Grétarsdóttir, chair
of the Icelandic Whale Watching
Association, has gone on record
saying that no member of the group
was ever contacted.
Finally, Klausturgate has
reached new levels of absurd-
ity. While the appellate court has
dismissed the demands of the four
MPs trying to take legal action
against whistleblower Bára Hall-
dórsdóttir, two of them—Gunnar
Bragi Sveinsson and Bergþór
Ólason—suddenly returned to
work. Their co-workers were less
than pleased, and Gunnar Bragi
himself was caught in a spectacular
lie after he contended he was in the
midst of a 36-hour blackout when
he spoke abusively about his female
colleagues at a local bar. Not only did
a doctor point out that a blackout of
this length would indicate severe
brain damage, Gunnar Bragi had
previous stated on tape that he did
in fact remember the night in ques-
tion. At the time of this writing, they
are still working in Parliament.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2019First
The usual suspects
Published by Fröken
ehf.
Hafnarstræti 15,
101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@
grapevine.is
Member of the
Icelandic
Travel Industry
Association
www.saf.is
Printed by
Landsprent ehf. in
25,000 copies.
PUBLISHER
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson
hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601
publisher@
grapevine.is
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Valur Grettisson
valur@grapevine.is
MANAGING EDITOR
John Rogers
john@grapevine.is
ART DIRECTOR
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
sveinbjorn@
grapevine.is
NEWS EDITOR
Andie Fontaine
andie@grapevine.is
CULTURE & TRAVEL
EDITOR
John Rogers
john@grapevine.is
PHOTO EDITOR
Art Bicnick
art@grapevine.is
WEB EDITOR
Andie Fontaine
andie@grapevine.is
LISTINGS DIRECTOR
Hannah Jane Cohen
listings@listings.is
LAYOUT
Þorsteinn Davíðsson
COPY EDITOR
Catharine Fulton

ILLUSTRATIONS
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
Elín Elísabet
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Alexander Jean De
Fontenay
Hannah Jane Cohen
Greig Róbertsson
Kolbeinn Arnaldur
Dalrymple
Tara Njála
Ingvarsdóttir
Phil Uwe Widiger
Shruthi Basappa
Ragnar Egilsson
Rex Beckett
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Art Bicnick
Einar Bárðarson
Jana Černá
Julie Rowland
Joe Tighe
Magnús Andersen
Timothée Lambrecq
Svanhildur Gréta
SALES DIRECTORS
Aðalsteinn
Jörundsson
adalsteinn@
grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson
helgi@grapevine.is
EDITORIAL
+354 540 3600
editor@grapevine.is
ADVERTISING
+354 540 3605
ads@grapevine.is
DISTRIBUTION &
SUBSCRIPTIONS
+354 540 3604
distribution@
grapevine.is
PRESS RELEASES
listings@grapevine.is
GENERAL INQUIRIES
grapevine@grapevine.is
FOUNDERS
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson,
Hörður
Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti
Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar
Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is
published 21 times a year
by Fröken ltd. Monthly
from December through
February, and fortnightly
from March til October.
Nothing in this magazine
may be reproduced in
whole or in part without
the written permission
of the publishers. The
Reykjavík Grapevine
is distributed around
Reykjavík, Akureyri,
Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður,
Borgarnes, Keflavík,
Ísafjörður and at key
locations along road
#1, and all major tourist
attractions and tourist
information centres in
the country. You may not
like it, but at least it's not
sponsored (no articles in
the Reykjavík Grapevine
are pay-for articles. The
opinions expressed are
the writers’ own, not the
advertisers’).
NEWS
HAPPY
AFTERNOON
WINE & BEER 950 KR.
COCKTAIL OF THE DAY 1.490 KR.
16:00 - 20:00
EVERY DAY 8:30 - 18:00
BOOZY
BRUNCH
LUNCH
DINNER
Paris | Austurstræti 14 | 101 Reykjavík | cafeparis.is | +354 551 1020